Guest Speaker

Gordon Bull

‘Jan Dzierzon’, the famous beekeeper that you’ve probably never heard of’

Gordon is a biologist who started keeping bees at his home in the North Cotswolds in 2008. His beekeeping interests include queen rearing and raising nucs. He is a Master Beekeeper and has been a Seasonal Bee Inspector since 2015.

Gordon’s talk will begin at 10:30am.

The Honey Show

The annual GBKA Honey Show is a great opportunity to catch up with news across the county, experience our county level honey show and also meet others outside our own Branches to chat and exchange information. Refreshments and lunch will be provided.

We will very much look forward to welcoming you and hope that you will be able to attend.

Gloucestershire has 853 registered beekeepers, 1255 apiaries and 5226 colonies – the largest in the Western region.

Registration on BeeBase is important for all beekeepers to help the National Bee Unit identify colonies at risk from notifiable disease or exotic pests and target control measures effectively. Remember also to keep your keep your apiary records up to date.

There are 6 inspectors for the Western Region. From 1st April 2020 you can use the postcode search on the contacts page of BeeBase to check for your local Seasonal Bee Inspector (available April to September). Elizabeth Gardner is the SBI for Gloucestershire.

Nationally, 20081 queens and 2623 packages of bees were imported – details of how to import bees legally are available on BeeBase (or better still, why not have a go at raising your own local queens with the help of your local GBKA branch).

There were a number of call outs to hives with dead bees – these turned out to be cases of Chronic Bee Paralysis Virus which appears to be on the increase.

There were no reports of American Foulbrood (AFB). Remember not to feed bees with bought honey since this may contain the long-lived AFB spores.

The level of European Foulbrood (EFB) reported in Gloucestershire was slightly higher compared with last year with 11 colonies affected (vs 9 in 2018).

A high level of Varroa in colonies during 2019 was noted. Remember to monitor and control for Varroa. Use Veterinary Medicines Directorate approved treatments as required, record their use, and rotate them to avoid the risk of resistance.

There were no reports of the exotic pests Tropilaelaps or Small Hive Beetle in the UK in 2019. SHB remains present in Southern Italy and the illegal movement of colonies from the protection zone on the mainland to Sicilly was detected. No new outbreaks in the protection zone have been reported.

The NBU held a Bee Health Day with the GBKA in 2019. An excellent opportunity to see examples of diseased combs, participate in workshops and focus on keeping healthy bees.

There were no reports of Asian Hornet in the Gloucestershire area again this year. Three nests were located and destroyed in 2019 – one in Tamworth, Staffordshire. The other two were in Dorset. Individual hornet sightings were also reported in Hampshire and Kent. Sightings (with a photo) can be reported using the Asian Hornet Watch App. (A GBKA Asian Hornet Action Team – AHAT- was formed in 2019 to help manage any outbreaks – September and October appears to be the key risk period).

It is assumed that the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) will again appear in Gloucestershire. The role of the county AHAT is to coordinate the efforts to share any reports and confirm any Asian hornet sightings including the collection of photographs or samples.

Asian hornet (Vespa velutina)

Once the National Bee Unit (NBU) of DEFRA has been informed, they will then take charge of the operation to find and destroy the nest. Under their direction AHATs may be invited to help find it.

Mike Forster is the County AHAT Coordinator and each GBKA branch has an AHAT lead indicated below :

Come with family and friends and help us celebrate the countryside at Royal Three Counties Show being held at Three Counties Showground – it’s a great summer’s day out.

Lots of activities for all the family ensure that there is never a dull moment. Try your hand at lots of different activities, or get up close with the friendly animals in Fur, Feather & Farm. In our theatre, show ambassador Adam Henson delivers fascinating talks and insights and over in the Main Arena nonstop entertainment culminates in the Grand Parade of Livestock.

This year Herefordshire is organising the main display for the Bees and Honey Show with the theme of ‘beehive designs’ including skep building.

Gloucestershire Beekeepers Association (GBKA) will be hosting a Honey Bee Health Day with the support from Colin Pavey (Regional Bee Inspector on behalf of APHA) and his team of Seasonal Bee Inspectors.

The day includes presentations and workshops delivered by Colin and his team, on topics related to honey bee pests and disease recognition, pest and disease management, apiary hygiene, apiary inspections and a rare opportunity to examine combs with notifiable disease (EFB and AFB).

Gloucestershire BeeKeepers Association (GBKA) received the George Knight’s Memorial Award in 2018 as the British BeeKeeping Association making the most progress in examinations and assessments beyond the Basic Certificate.

In 2018, from the 75 Associations around the country, Gloucestershire BeeKeepers Association (GBKA) had the most Modules, General Husbandry, Honey Bee Health and Microscopy certificates gained, and Deputy Chairman Chris Strudwick, accepted the award on behalf of GBKA at the recent Annual Delegate’s Meeting in Warwick. The BBKA examination system provides the stepping stones for constructive development and learning and the success of many GBKA members in passing the exams speaks for the efforts put by all in this respect.

A few highlights

Gloucestershire has 833 beekeepers, 1235 apiaries and 4944 colonies – almost double the number of colonies compared with our neighbouring counties in the Western region.

The level of European Foulbrood (EFB) reported has halved in 2018 (9 colonies) compared with last year.

There were no reports of American Foulbrood (AFB) and the area has been AFB free since 2015.

There were no reports of Asian Hornet in the Gloucestershire area this year, although there were nine confirmed sightings in England. Two nests were located and destroyed in Cornwall (primary and secondary nests) and two in Hampshire. The others were isolated sightings. All beekeepers are urged to remain vigilant with the possibility of new sightings next Spring. Details of how to report a sighting are included in Colin’s report.

The UK remains free of Small Hive Beetle. In Europe, it remains restricted to Southern Italy where it was originally found in 2014.

The report includes links on the legal requirements to import or export bees.

The working group that put this survey together are very much encouraged by the level of interest and engagement in this topic.

Defra are continuing to work with beekeeping organisations on the analysis of these results and also looking at options for ways to improve our ability to rear queens in the UK.

The Queen Rearing Working Group is chaired by Defra with representatives from the National Bee Unit (NBU), the Bee Farmers’ Association (BFA), the British Beekeepers Association (BBKA), the Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders’ Association (BIBBA) and the National Diploma in Beekeeping (NDB).

Please find updated Covid-19 beekeeping guidance with official logos for England, Wales and Scotland. The updated guidance has an amended paragraph which reads:There are currently no restrictions on movements of bee colonies that you are managing, such as moving bees to fulfil pollination contracts. However, you should observe the public health guidance to prevent the […]

The National Bee Unit currently has a number of Seasonal Bee Inspector (SBI) vacancies advertised in the following areas. If you are interested in applying for the job, please use the links below and contact the relevant Regional Bee Inspector for any queries regarding the position.South East – KentNorth East – East and West YorkshireSouthern […]

DO YOU IMPORT BEES FROM OUTSIDE THE EU? If so, please read the below factsheet on what you need to do to prepare. The new Official Controls Regulation (OCR) will apply directly to the UK from 14th December 2019. Please read the OCR Factsheet for further information.You do not need to register on TRACES NT if […]

Gloucestershire Beekeeping Society - GBKA - is a registered charity (no. 263712) with the principal objective of promoting and furthering the craft of beekeeping.